Attractions: fast, small (but not too small) scenario; tense from the start. This is the scenario Mike McGrath and Steve Pleva played for the Oktoberfest championship Rules refresh: unlimbering, platoon movement, mechanical reliability, Russian vehicle note ‘M’.
I had the Germans against Jean-Pierre Raymond’s Russians. The German starts with resources that must be split. 5x468 squads, 9-1, 8-0, MMG, LMG, lt MTR stuck up north on board 42. A limbered 88 flak, 150 INF, Pz3J and Pz3H set up around the victory town. I decided to try to discourage the Russians from driving down the main board 42 road to the victory town. I put one 468 in a level 1 bldg location. I’d say that was a waste because everyone needs to fall back quickly. The 8-0, 468, LMG and foxhole went in the path near that bldg. A HS and MTR went on the rightmost path, with an LOS to the clear hexes beyond. Its important to put people on a path that you wish to deny the enemy. Even if they break, they still block it for a turn or more. I should have had another squad helping block that area. The rest of the north detachment set up as far back as allowed, to race back to the victory town.
The 88 set up in the orchard, just behind a hedge, pointing down the main road. The 150 set up in the rear right of the town, where it could cover several victory buildings and the rightmost path and woods. The 2 CE Pz3 went behind a wall on the left of the town to discourage the T34s from quickly entering the town from that area.
This goal of this setup was to make the Russian try the board 5 road instead of the board 42 road so that the German reinforcements could get on board unmolested before the Russians are within shooting range of the town. That part worked perfectly.
JP sent 6 tanks, loaded with infantry down the board 5 road. He put 1 tank on board 42 along with 4 447, 7-0, and LMG.
Luck was with me and against JP when we played, although I had to remind him to do his mechanical reliability DR when starting his tanks. 12 means immobilized and 11 (note M) means a stall.
Turn 1 was uneventful as the Russians all moved south, except the lone T34 on 42. It shot to no effect. The falling snow increased intensity. Its important for the German to remember to unlimber the 88 during Russian turn 1 if he has no good targets. This changes the ROF from 1 to 2, and changes the gun from 88* to 88L. The Russians on board 5 traveled far, stopping just short of the central woods near the town. On my turn everyone fell back, but could not go as fast as desired because of Russians with LOS. At least the 9-1,468,MMG stack made it back into town to cover the other side of that central woods.
Turn 2 sees a T32 immobilize by Mech. Rel DR on board 5. The rest unload, then head towards the town from the west, giving my Pz3’s some feeble shots. They missed or bounced, then 5 T34s went into the gully. The lone T34 on 42 failed his TC. The unloaded troops moved into the nearby woods, heading to town. The guys on the right path continue to move slowly south because of Germans in the way.
My turn 2 brings reinforcements. 1 Pz3 joins the other two behind the town, but on the level 1 location to reduce the number of T34s that will see it when they exit the gully. The other moves up to support the 88. It goes north of the hedge to get unhindered shooting at Russians in the woods. The HT carried 2 447 right into town to unload adjacent to victory buildings. The 7-0, 468, LMG ran up the main road to a stone victory building on their right.
Turn 3 was when the fun really started with much wild shooting and gnashing of teeth. The board 42 T34 moves down the road and stops 6 hexes away from my Pz3. I ignore it, thinking JP will wait for the AFPh to get acquisition. My 88 is pointing at the infantry in the woods. JP does a bounding first fire though, and hits my Pz3 in the rear for a kill. The crew survives, adjacent to the 88. The other T34s leave the gully. I remember to try for APCR. A CH nails one T34 after several ROF tries. I’m seeing shots bounce off the hull and turrets of these T34s. I decide to wait until they are within 2 hexes for the +1 TK modifier. I do a lot of ROF and IF shooting, but have no effect. In his AFPh, he shocks 1 HD Pz3. Turret hits? No problem for JP.
The tide turn on the next turn when I got another CH and kill, followed by some ineffective ROF, followed by an IF shock. This time, my HD protected me from the return fire. The next time the Germans could shoot, they took out the remaining T34s by turret hits and lucky TK DR. One shocked T34 was killed from the side after a Pz3 moved adjacent. The MMG team in the town had broken, fallen back one building then rallied. Concealed adjacent Russians got blasted by 13 FP PB, forcing them back. Other Russians broke the 88 crew, but the Pz3 crew took over. That was very lucky, because when the board 42 T34 moved again, they were there to fire at it. First shot missed with no ROF, but IF killed it soon after.
No more Russian tanks! I think we could have stopped there, but JP doesn’t give up easily. The Pz3 tanks start moving, however, and begin to interfere with his rout and rallies. The 88 shoots at Russians in the right woods line and get another CH, but only generate a hero and battle harden a 447. On the following turn, enough Russians break to make JP concede. My 150 gun took only 1 shot during the game.
A tense game most of the way. The German needs HD just so both sides need turret hits, instead of just the German. APCR is a help if you can get it, and for the extra shot if you don’t. The Russian might seriously consider going down the board 42 road on turn 1 against my set up. At that point the 88 has only 1 ROF and it will be swarmed on the first turn. Might work with acceptable losses.
Michael R.
Brian Sullivan and I played this at the joint BAASL-Bunker ASL day 6 December 1997. Brian got choice of sides and took the Russians. I set up my Germans and awaited the onslaught. (Note: the Designer's Notes talk about a PzKpfw IIIL, but that model is not available until July 1942.)
German Setup
J4 AA/228 {CA 2}
L1 PzIIIH {CE, CA 2}
M3 PzIIIJ {CE, CA 2}
M4 INF/228 {CA 2}
P5 MTR/468
Q5 468, MMG/9-1, 1S foxhole
Q9 1S foxhole
S5 468
T6 468
T9 468, LMG/8-0
No one set up in the foxholes, and I planned to transfer the MGs in the first RPh. All my tanks have APCR; the INF Gun has no HEAT yet. Only the AA Gun and the IIIJ have any significant chance of affecting the T-34's front hull. Luckily, the T-34s don't have radios, have red MP, and can stall. I plan to fall back to the village as quick as I can, form a defense around the 88 and any surviving tanks. I'll drive tanks into stone buildings to get the +3 TH DRM.
This defense is heavily based on the suggested deployment in Schwerpunkt 2, but I moved the INF Gun to the front. I fear a 7-tank blitz down the road, the two tanks and the INF's 16 TK# should slow them down.
Brian sets up two tanks, three squads, a LMG and the 7-0 on board 42. All the rest are set up on the board 5 road. Each of those five tanks has riders.
On turn 1a, Brian moves his board 5 tanks down the road and they end west of the Z2 gully. His infantry on board 42 end the APh in T5, and his last two tanks are in U2 and U3. For some reason, the U2 tank has VCA 6, giving the PzIIIJ a side hull shot!
My DFPh is useless; both tanks run out of APCR. I do gain acquisition and unlimber the 88 though.
My PFPh is worse than useless. The INF Gun malfunctions on a 12, and neither tank hits. I Intensive Fire the PzIIIJ and malfunction it! Things are looking dim. In a desperate effort to hold back the Russians, and an action I was sure I'd regret, I Prep Fired my S5 and T6 squads at his stack in T5. The first shot stripped concealment and pinned the 7-0. The second shot ELRed the 7-0 and a squad, and pinned another.
Brian's DFPh flames the PzIIIH and merely breaks his LMG in T5.
I pulled the rest of my force back; the T9 squad forms a second line of defense around R5. The MTR ends in O5, and the MMG kill stack around N5. I advance in to CC and kill a 447. Brian doesn't affect me. (Note: I finally realized when I was writing this AAR that I forgot to declare HtH CC.)
In RPh2a I don't repair anything. Brian has no PFPh. When he tries to start the U2 and U3 T-34s only to roll a 12. Random Selection only picks the one in U3, though. But that one moves to O2. The rest of his vehicles barely cross the gully and unload around 5Y2. He still has one loaded T-34 at the end of the turn. His tanks are ready to repel any attempt at a flank attack, all facing the D1 hill and some with Area Acquisition on likely hexes. His board 5 Infantry has run to about 5V3.
(Note for platoon movement. Brian easily crossed the gully with a two-vehicle in Z2 and AA3 using a line abreast formation. His second two-vehicle platoon crossed Y3 in single file. They tried, the second vehicle ended in the gully. You can waste a lot of MP if you're not careful.)
(Note: the falling snow intensified around turn 2b.)
I fire the MTR at O2 in the DFPh. I miss and keep rate a couple times, then roll a 12. Whose dice are these anyway? No one is affected in the CC.
In RPh2b, Brian's 6+1 doesn't rally, I don't fix the MTR, but I roll a 6 for the INF Gun. It only got off one shot. :( I don't try to repair the PzIIIJ's MA because I will need those eight FP of MGs if it gets away.
I actually get the PzIIIJ away. Brian misses with shots from O2 and U3, and malfunctions U3's MA when it tries to Intensive Fire! I pull it back into K5 where it bogs and is joined with the 9-1, MMG/468. The reinforcements come in; one PzIIIH bogs in H5, the other goes to I5. The SdKfz unloads its cargo of 7-0, LMG/468 in I4, then goes to J4. I hoped it would provide cover for the 88.
(Note: this was a mistake. We forgot that because it was unarmored, it would not provide +1 TEM until it was a wreck. And if it burned, the smoke would greatly hinder the 88. I would not do this again.)
I abandon the malfunctioned MTR, and pull the INF's crew back to K5, the reinforcing LMG/468 to I3. The original 8-0, LMG/468 falls back towards J2; I don't want to lose any building in the east to the 6+1, 436. My defense is forming around J4-H5. I plan to give up J1 without a fight, hold I3 and J3 a turn longer, then hold H8, J5 and K5 for the win.
Brian has no targets for DFPh, and I CR his 447 in CC. My two squads are still alive.
In RPh3a his units rally and head down the U9 road. Brian doesn't repair U3's MA. I try to repair the PzIIIJ's MA, I think the T-34's are going to swarm me this turn, but disable it. Hopefully it will not be able to unbog itself. Brian makes some mistakes this turn. He tries non-platoon movement for all his vehicles. Only two tanks pass their TCs, both on board 5. So he unloads all the infantry he can and moves the tanks to K4/4 and G5/2. His infantry grabs J1 while a squad goes to H1.
Brian abandons the U3 T-34, the 127 advances to T3.
I have a 447 in G5, Brian cheerfully overruns it and breaks it. I had turned the 88 to CA 6 on turn 2; it turns to kill the K4 T-34. The LMG/468 in I3 breaks a Russian squad in I2. Neither reinforcing PzIIIH has APCR. In CC, I finally kill the last Russians in T5.
In 3b the 88 kills the G5 T-34 but its crew survives. Luckily the PzIIIH in H5 breaks it. I've fallen the 8-0 and LMG/468 back to J7, the LMG/468 falls back from I3 to J3. The PzIIIJ unbogs itself. :( But I'm feeling pretty good since three T-34's are gone. My T5 squads run back towards the village. Not having to worry about U3's MGs makes this much easier.
Brian pushes hard in 4a. His O2 tank passes its TC and moves to J3/K4/J4. I turn the 88 and flame it. That, unfortunately, gives Brian the cover he needs to push a squad each into J2 and I3. Another T-34 moves from around 5Y1 to 42I4/3. My two PzIIIH fail to hit the side of the T-34, in fact I think on malfunctioned its MA at some time during this period. I never tried to repair its MA since the MGs and its presence are at least as useful as its MA.
He moves the 8-1 and two squads from 5V1 toward K5. The 228 proved that while they can't fire an INF Gun, they can shoot rifles. They break all the Russians.
Brian moves the two squads into I3 for CC and the H1 squad to H3. He now has control of J1 and I3. He rolls a 12 for the CC attack and I withdraw to I3 with a smile.
Turn 4b finishes the Russians. The 88 turns and kills the I4 T-34, with ROF. I then hit the Infantry in J3 and roll a 3: 1KIA. The LMG/468 in I3 break the poor 447 in H3.
Brian conceded with only two turns left.
At this point Brian had two T-34s and about four unbroken squads around 5Y1. I could double-time the 228 from K5 to keep his leader and two squads DM around 5V1. He had a broken crew in F3 and a broken squad in J3. He has a 6+1, 436 and 127 coming from the north, but I have two 468s coming from there too. The 88 is hot and the crew in good spirits. They passed the 1MC the only time they were fired on, and have accounted to four T-34s and a 447. My 9-1, MMG/468 is in J7, a LMG/468 in I3, another LMG/468 in H8, a 468 in K5, 447s in J5 and H8. I had lost one PzIIIH, disabled the INF Gun, malfunctioned the MTR, and recalled the PzIIIJ.
It was a fun scenario even though we had a lot of malfunctions. If Brian had not pushed at me piecemeal with the T-34s, but formed platoons and swarmed me, it would have a very different game. I think a push down the road with all seven T-34s with maybe five squads as riders is the way to go. They can kill any tanks in turn 1b. Then unload their riders around L2 and L5 in 2a and go for the Guns. Yes, you'll lose some infantry but eventually you'll catch the Spanish between the T-34s and the infantry as they try to enter the village.
Scott Romanowski